by Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840–1914)

A thorough analysis of British and French naval strategies during the tumultuous period spanning the French Revolution and Napoleonic Empire. Mahan emphasizes the critical role of naval dominance in shaping historical events during transformational periods.

Sixth Edition from 1895, Originally printed in 1892

Printer Boston: University Press

380 pages Bound in dark blue cloth over boards with gilt-stamped spines and upper boards, top edges gilt, black coated endpapers. Both front boards are decorated with a gilt-stamped sketch of Ship.

About the Author:

Alfred Thayer Mahan

In the 1880s, the naval officer Alfred Thayer Mahan spearheaded his concept of sea power, or the ability to control the ocean for economic and military gain. He popularized this idea and proposed revitalizing the U.S. Navy in his important 1890 treatise, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783. 

Mahan argued that surplus U.S. production would require overseas markets but that the benefits would be significant for a country “seeking a new outlet for what it had to sell,” and would achieve “more employment for its people, more comfort and wealth for itself.” For economic and territorial expansion, however, a modern navy was crucial. This could only be achieved by creating a steam and steel navy that operated in large, fleet-sized units. This way, the U.S. Navy would be capable of acting on the offensive—key for seizing overseas territories and creating colonies. Ultimately, Mahan’s theory of sea power provided an intellectual justification for a war that extended from the Caribbean to the Pacific.